Discovering New Zealand: Day 10

Under a clear sky and light breeze we approached Wellington Harbour around 11:30pm. With our cabin pretty much directly above the ships twin props, we noticed the change in prop speed as Volendam slowed to pass between Barrett Reef and Pencarrow Head, line up with the flashing navigation lead lights. Up on the darkened sports deck (just above the bridge) watching our ship glide through the channel past Seatoun toward the twinkling lights of Lower Hutt was a pretty amazing experience.

The stillness of the evening was in totally stark contrast to the early morning of 10th of April 1968, when in the midst of an incredible storm, the almost brand new drive-on passenger ferry Wahine struck Barrett Reef and eventually sunk. Almost all of the causalities lost their lives along the Pencarrow coast that day after the order to abandon ship, as they were swept away from the closest shore and back out into channel on the outgoing tide. Of the 610 passengers and 123 crew on board, 53 people (including several children) lost their lives that day. This modern day shipping disaster took place only 41 years ago and within a short distance of shore near Seatoun, the suburb of Wellington I'd just watch pass on the ships port side.

Barrett Reef

Wahine entering Wellington Harbour

The Wahine listing and being abandoned

The Wahine lying on her side and partially submerged in Wellington harbour, just a few days after the disaster

The inter-island rail ferry Aramoana heading out through the entrance to Wellington harbour for a crossing to Picton in seas much smaller than those on April 10th 1968

I was just eleven at the time of this accident but I remember the reaction at home to this terrible news story. My plan was to learn as much as I could about the loss of the Wahine during my first visit to Wellington (especially as we would pass the spot where she capsized twice in one day). The opportunity presented itself at the Museum of Wellington City & Sea. This museum is housed in the 1892 Wellington Harbour Board Head Office and Bond Store.

Museum of Wellington City & Sea

Whilst the museum was originally dedicated to the Maritime history and culture of Wellington, it’s scope now includes social history of the region. The permanent Wahine Disaster exhibit takes up a significant proportion of the Maritime history exhibit.

That was as you can probably sense, this was all pretty interesting for me but we also spent a bit of time checking out the Bond Store exhibit and the magnificently restored Board Room before moving on to the Te Papa - New Zealand’s national museum just along the waterfront.

Te Papa Museum with Wellington CBD behind

Te Papa is a massive contemporary museum with Māori cultural treasures and engaging interactive displays. The following are just a few of the more fascinating exhibits.

The Map - a 14 metre long satellite map of New Zealand is laid out on the floor (sort of a massive Google Earth display). As you walk over the map you trigger sensors that project associated images onto large display screens on the walls.

Awesome Forces – featuring New Zealand's seismic activity and volcanic eruptions, and their effects on people and the land. The display shows New Zealand’s position astride two mighty tectonic plates, and explains how the movement of the plates is measured.

Signs of a Nation - focusing on the Treaty of Waitangi and challenging us to consider whether it is a vision of peaceful co-existence or the cause of disharmony, an irrelevancy, or the platform on which all New Zealanders can build a future

A complete contrast (after considering these profound issues) we came across this shortened Mini Cooper on our walk back towards the CBD. As you can see it was pleading to have it’s picture taken.

Helen's next brmmm??

The afternoon featured a walk through the Botanic Gardens. Fortunately the 100 year old Wellington Cable Car makes the steep climb from the CBD a snack. Despite its name the current Wellington Cable Car is a funicular, having two counter-balanced cars permanently attached to each other by a cable, rather than a true cable car (in which the cars may grip or release the cable as needed). The original Cable Car was a hybrid between a true cable car and a funicular and the name stuck.

Wellington Cable Car

Located just a few metres from the cable car's upper terminus and from a lookout with spectacular views over Wellington, the Wellington Cable Car Museum tells the story of the country's only remaining public cable car system.

We also discovered that due to the steep sided suburbs around Wellington, this city is home for dozens of privately owned domestic cable cars.

Back on board Volendam, we watched Millennium (Celebrity Lines) pull away from the wharf next to us before heading out of the harbour ourselves 30 minutes later. We will meet up with Millennium again at Tauranga in a couple of days.

Celebrity's Millennium leaving port - racing us to Tauranga

On a more domestic note, on return to our cabin we were amazed to discover we’d been bestowed our washing (sent out the day before). As you can see, the consignment was beautifully gift wrapped and placed in a basket and all the items were neatly and attractively folded. Just goes to show we’re impressed by the little surprises as well as the big ones.